The following is a guest post written by Andy, who agreed to test the new Miken Z9 hockey stick for www.HockeyWorldBlog.com. Keep checking back for future posts from Andy regarding the Miken Z9 hockey stick as he continues to put it to the test!
Miken has been kind enough to send the folks at HockeyWorldBlog.com another stick to review
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Stick: Miken MV5 Pro Radial
Weight: 488 grams
Curve/Lie: BP 40 (Easton Zetterberg, Bauer PM9, Reebok P34, and Warrior Savard)
Flex: 100
Price: $199.99 original price, $160-ish at Inline Warehouse
Aesthetics:
Although the new stick designs are coming out with a white-out finish on the bottom third of the stick, the matted black finish with red lettering and grey and white accents still is pretty eye-catching. The decals have held up well against the two-handers and shots, leaving the stick to look almost as good as new.
Performance:
The Miken MV5 Radial has taken some time to get used to. Feel, stiffness, etc… But I can say my learning process has ended and now I’m overall happy with the end product.
The stick was eventually cut down to the right size providing better stick-handling, all that goes well with the BP-40 curve. The round, slightly open blade allows for some pretty decent toe drags.
Passing seems to be pretty spot on, although making a high saucer pass does take some practice. The open toe leaves pucks coming off on an angle that is sometimes hard to collect for the target. Wrist shots follows the same pattern, coming of a bit wobbly instead of a solid shot. On the bright side, this all is mere player capability. Sure I’m an alright hockey player so some may be a bit cautious, but truth be, if I had my choice I would have chosen a different curve and all would be perfect.
The shafts low kick point is still kicking slappers without any loss of flex. This is good, however it does seem the breaking in takes a little longer time than previous sticks I have used. So a few more slapshots are needed a game, who’s complaining? Well, maybe the goalies as they go whizzing by.
Durability:
My initial concerns for durability have speedily faded. The toe has seen better days as there was a little opening that happened early on. Since though, the stick has not seen any more wear, even to the toe. I’m quite surprised as I did expect it to slowly break down and leaving me with a stick looking like one of those party favor clappers. Instead I am left with a one piece that feels indestructible.
Ending Notes:
I’ve played with the MV5 for over 3 months now on a constant basis. I have been quite pleased with the performance, with the ability to hit players at full speed with passes with relative ease. Wrist shots have seen better days but that is merely because of the blade itself. Slap-shots on the other side are still as strong as ever and accurate too with the dependable shaft. Speaking of strong, the stick is solid, so solid I don’t even carry a back-up most nights. It is made in America for all those looking to support the homeland (depending where you are from), as well as a good price point for the product. I would recommend picking up a Miken MV5 Radial and giving it a shot, just make sure you pick the blade of your preference.
The former NHL
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A little background knowledge is always a good thing. My previous stick that I was using was from the guys at Blue Ice Hockey, the Blue Ice Nano Pro. To say that I love the stick would be an understatement. A price point to fit every hockey players budget, a long with the durability and performance of top end sticks, really makes it tough for me to jump over to the Miken.
Miken’s roots began in baseball as they produced a high performance composite bat. Taking the knowledge learned from their research and development, mixing it with pro player advisors, Miken is now in the hockey game. Another little ditty for those who don’t know already, Miken is based out of Minnesota. For hockey players in the United States, if you’re looking for American made you have found it. I personally may not be a fan favorite of local Wild fans, but hopefully after reading this review they might ease up on me a bit.
Stick: Miken MV5 Pro Radial
Weight: 488 grams
Curve/Lie: BP 40 (Easton Zetterberg, Bauer PM9, Reebok P34, and Warrior Savard)
Flex: 100
Price: $149.99 sale price right now / $199.99 original
Aesthetics:
A matted black finish with red lettering and grey and white accents. To say that it is eye catching is definitely an understatement. It is slick, it’s mean, and a big “Made in U.S.A.” is plastered on the back of the blade. What’s not to love?
Performance:
It’s hard coming from a stick you love and jumping right into another one. A lot of the stick is feel for a hockey player. Fortunately the Miken MV5 Radial eased the transition.
The shaft has a tapered design and a low kick point. From a shooting perspective, the stick has a good kick. Slapshots seem to come off the stick with a nice snap and wrist shots are pretty dead on with accuracy. I even have picked the top shelf on multiple occasions (and yes, I was aiming there).
From a puck handling perspective I’m still transitioning to the stick. Currently the Blue Ice Nano Pro is about a half an inch to an inch smaller. The longer length of the Miken at times makes it difficult to get some decent wood on one-timers. Oddly enough, and kind of contradictory to my last statement, my puck handling seems to have improved. I find myself not looking down as much, really being in tune with the feel of the puck to the blade of the stick. This is an added bonus that I was not expecting.
Durability:
If there is one thing I question about the stick is durability. Still way too early to really get a good feel for durability, but currently I have noticed a little opening on the toe of the stick. This, however, could be the result of anything be it someone stepping on the blade to an awkward poke check. It is something I am keeping note of an plan to report on in the future.
On a more positive note, I do have a fellow teammate who currently uses a Miken MV3 Pro. After some competitive play for about a month, he ended up snapping the stick in a game. He contacted Miken’s customer service and is not only having his stick replaced, but is actually being given an upgrade to the MV5 Pro Radial.
The two situations are an abnormal occurrence. The professionalism of the company and the customer service on the other hand is top notch solid.
Ending Notes:
I’ve played with the MV5 for about a half dozen times now be it in a league and some drop-ins. I’m liking what I am getting out of the stick so far, but look to continue to push it to the limits. I might knock of an inch on the stick to get a little better stick handling, but worry about the extra stiffness taking a hit to wrist shots. Overall with the excellent customer service, made in America, as well as a good price point for the product, I would recommend picking up a Miken MV5 Radial and giving it a shot.
